Team

PoPS was started in 2018 in the Center for Geospatial Analytics at North Carolina State University in collaboration with USDA-APHIS. It has rapidly grown into a talented team of field scientists, computer and data scientists, and government organizations dedicated to changing the way pests and pathogens are managed.

Development Team

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Chris Jones, Ph.D.

NC State University

Lead developer of PoPS web platform; serves as project team manager, providing technical guidance and operational and strategic oversight

Website
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Ross Meentemeyer, Ph.D.

NC State University

Provides high-level leadership, scientific guidance, and strategic oversight

Website
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Vaclav Petras

NC State University

Lead developer of the C++ library API and developer of PoPS module for GRASS GIS; simulation of interception of pests at US ports

Website
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Anna Petrasova, Ph.D.

NC State University

Lead developer of the tangible user interface Tangible Landscape, and developer for PoPS management module and PoPS modules for GRASS GIS

Website
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Shannon Jones, Ph.D.

NC State University

Lead front-end developer of PoPS web platform; performs website design, scientific illustration, and video production

Website
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Eli Horner

NC State University, Ph.D. student

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Mark Feinberg

NC State University, Ph.D. student

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John Polo

NC State University, Ph.D. student

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Tom Lake, Ph.D.

NC State University

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Brit Laginhas

NC State University, Ph.D. student

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Affiliates

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Devon Gaydos, Ph.D.

USDA-APHIS

Provides insights into Field Operations and Policy needs for co-developing management strategies

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Yu Takeuchi, Ph.D.

NC State University

Connects PoPS forecasting efforts with SAFARIS initiative

Website
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Jean Ristaino, Ph.D.

NC State University

Head of NC State’s Global Food Security faculty cluster; co-develops new collaborations between the cluster and Center for Geospatial Analytics

Website
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Gustavo Machado, Ph.D.

NC State University

Using PoPS for modeling the spread of swine disease in North Carolina, incorporating inter-farm movement information

Website
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Chris Mundt, Ph.D.

Oregon State University

Studying long-distance pathogen dispersal and using PoPS to modeling spread of diverse systems, including wheat stripe rust and foot and mouth disease

Website

Past Team Members

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Wanwan Liang, Ph.D.

Examined efficacy of spatial sampling designs to delimit pest or pathogen population boundaries and management strategies to account for pests’ biological traits

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Ben Seliger, Ph.D.

Automating surveillance alerts using citizen scientist data, develops rapid host maps and identifying parcel-level treatment priorities

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Kellyn Montgomery, Ph.D.

Examines global transportation networks and their relationship to pest interception at US ports

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Nick Kruskamp, Ph.D.

Generates high-resolution host maps with complete spatial uncertainty estimations using machine learning

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Thom Worm, Ph.D.

Building a machine-readable database of pests’ biological traits and examining global trade networks to understand mechanisms of pest introduction

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Megan Skrip, Ph.D.

Ensures clarity of official project reports and publications, publicizes project findings through news writing and social media

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